Top 5 Books On Dawn Of Digital Transformation Every CXO Should Read

Key takeaways

Staying updated is crucial for CXOs in rapidly evolving technology fields such as AI and data analytics.
India has a significant number of analytics companies, contributing to a growing global market.
The selected books aim to enhance understanding of digital transformation and its implications for businesses.

It is as good a time as any to keep yourself updated — especially for those who are in the constantly evolving technology field. If you are the CXO of an establishment that deals in a dynamic field such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, data science, machine learning and internet of things, among others, things can get challenging when one tries to take on too many tasks at once. In fact, according to our latest study, there are more than 5,000 companies in India today that provide analytics as an offering to customers. This includes a small number of companies into products and a larger chunk offering either offshore, recruitment and training services. Our research indicates that India accounts for 7 percent of global analytics companies and an average analytics company staffs around 179 employees each on their payroll. With such great numbers at stake, we have made the job easier for you by picking out these five books about the dawn of digital transformation that will not only expand your horizon, but also give you a tip or two about how to work with such a high-powered environment.

The Digital Transformation Playbook: Rethink Your Business for the Digital Age

Written by David L Rogers and published by Columbia Business School Publishing, the book, as the name states, is a basic playbook that insists that digital transformation is not about updating one’s technology but about upgrading one’s strategic thinking. Based on Rogers's decade of research and teaching at Columbia Business School, and his consulting for businesses around the world, The Digital Transformation Playbook... shows how pre-digital-era companies can reinvigorate their game plans and capture the new opportunities of the digital world. Rogers shows in the book as to why traditional businesses need to rethink their underlying assumptions in five domains of strategy -- customers, competition, data, innovation, and value. He reveals how to harness customer networks, platforms, big data, rapid experimentation, and disruptive business models, and how to integrate these into your existing business and organization. Rogers also illustrates every strategy in the book with real-world case studies, from Google to GE and from Airbnb to the New York Times, among others. You can buy book here.

Be the Business: CIOs in the New Era of IT

Written by Martha Heller and published by Routledge, the book showcases the sudden-ness of the transformation from the “free and easy” ‘70s to the present fast-paced and ever-changing work environment. “Way back then, IT was a mainframe that sat in some room and only a few people had a key. Flash forward a decade, and IT was a limited set of systems irrelevant to the vast majority of employees and customers. But today, all of the sudden, technology belongs to everyone,” states the book’s intro. Because of the suddenness of this revolution in technology adoption, most IT organisations have not had enough time to evolve into a "comfortable integration" with the rest of the company. Through interviews with dozens of CIOs, Heller has created a snapshot of what CIOs are doing to lead IT in a climate where technology belongs to everyone. She addresses how CIOs are changing their operating models, their approaches to talent development, and their assessment of the new IT provider marketplace. You can buy the book here.

Digital Vortex: How Today's Market Leaders Can Beat Disruptive Competitors at Their Own Game

Written by Michael Wade, Jeff Loucks and Dr James Macaulay; and published by DBT Center Press, the book is a winner of the 2017 Axiom Best Business Book award. The book revolves around how “digital disruption” is not just a buzzword. “Seemingly out of nowhere, startups and other tech-savvy disruptors attack,” says the book cover. “Your customers bolt for the door and revenues stall. Senior executives ignore the problem, or turn to yesterday's management playbook. In months instead of years, you've gone from market leader to also-ran,” it says. The book decodes the older business models to fit the current necessities, and teaches the CXOs to use the business models and strategies of startups to their advantage. You can buy the book here.

Digital to the Core: Remastering Leadership for Your Industry, Your Enterprise, and Yourself

Written by Mark Raskino and Graham Waller, and published by Routledge, this 2015 book revolves around how even the sharpest leaders can become disoriented by change and uncertainty. Digital to the Core... makes the case that all business leaders must understand the impact the digital revolution will continue to play in their industries, companies, and leadership style and practices. Drawing on interviews with over 30 top C-level executives in some of the world's most powerful companies and government organisations, such as GE, Ford, Tory Burch, Babolat, McDonalds, Publicis and UK Government Digital Service, among others, this book delivers practical insights from those on the front lines of major digital upheaval. You can buy the book here.

Leading Digital: Turning Technology into Business Transformation

Written by George Westerman, Didier Bonnet and Andrew McAfee, published by Harvard Business, the book makes the an argument that the next phase of digital technology, adoption driven by the convergence of mobility, analytics, social media, cloud computing and embedded devices, will make everything that's happened so far look like a prelude. With the compelling statement that there is still an untapped 94 percent of the business economy that needs to become digital, the writers offers practical, real-life tested frameworks that can be instantly applied. Case studies include Nike, Caesars, Burberry, Asian Paints, Pages Jaunes and Codelco, among others. You can buy the book here.

Key takeaways

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